Distributor



March 8; 1938. 5, v SWANSON 2,110,430

DISTRIBUTOR Filed March 5, 1937 h d Moi. 19 t r STATE Sven V. Swanson, Forest Park. 111., asaignor to Befrigeration Appliances, Inc., Chicago, 111., a col:

poration of Illinois Application March5, 1as'I,.-sorlsl-No. 129,244 I "12 claims (or. cz-izeij My invention relates to cooling units ofrefrigerating -'s'ysterns wherein liquid refrigerant issupplied: to a duct or coil of the'cooling unit to produce the cooling effect,'and has reference more particularly to facilities for supplyin equal amountsof refrigerant'to each of-several banks a of coils. a I

In refrigerating systems of the type ordinarily used a refrigerating medium is employed which,

19 after compression. is introduced in liquid form through an exp nsion or control valve into the coils of a' cooling-unit wherein the refrigerant is evaporated and converted into gas, thereby loweringthe temperature of the cooling unit or coils by the heat absorption which occurs in the conversionof the liquid into gas. In some cases. as for example in air conditioning equipment, wherein normaloperation requires 'a high rate of heat transfer, refrigerant is preferably introduced separately into a number of parallel banks of coils and in order to avoid the necessity of-employing a separate expansion valve for each bank] of ,coils it is desirable to provide a "single expansion valve with a dis- 2 tributor which will properly proportion orequalin the supply of'refrigerant to each bank of coils.

Howevenfas some evaporation begins to take place as the refrigerant is discharged from the expansion or control valve, the refrigerant becomes a somewhat turbulent mixture of liquid and gas which does not distribute uniformly with ordinary distribution facilities, and it is necessary to provide special distribution facilities a which will properly proportion or equalize the supply or distribution of the refrigerant to the various banksvof coils of the cooling unit.

It is therefore, an object of my invention to provide-refrigerant distribution facilities for rescribed, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawing, in which: g as Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a distributor constructed in accordance with my inw vention; I

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; a

Fig.3 isan end view of a coil unit with a s' nurlis ber of superposed banks of. refrigerating coi;'.

Fig. 4 is a view taken on the line l-Jfiof Fig. 3 showing the take-off connections from the coiluniti t. m 10 Fig. 5 is a view taken on the line 5-4 of Fig. 3 sho'wing the expansion valve and the connections' therefrom to: thecoil'. unit for supplying the refrigerant thereto; and

Fig. 6 is a sectional view-of a header which 16 may be employed inplace of the take-oi! connections of Fig: 4 to insure uniform. suction at all the tube outlets.- Referring to the drawing the reference .nu-

merai l0 indicates a multiple bank cooling unit 20 as a whole. having four superposed banks ll of coilspeachbank of which comprises four laterally spaced parallel pipes ii, at the same elevation, connected in series by return bends l3' and I supported by end plates ll with fins or plates IS on said pipesbetween the end, plates It in accordance with the usual practice. Each bank of coils has an intake end 16 to which refrigerant is supplied and an outlet end I! :connected with a. compressor (not shown). which withdraws the refrigerant gas. from the coils and after compressing and condensing same into liquid form returns. the liquid refrigerant through the pipe l8 to the expansion valve l9 from which it is supplied to the intake ends 16 of the coils. 1

To insure equalization of the suction effect of the compressor-on eachbank ll of the coils, a manifold-arrangement as shown in Fig. 4, may be employed with two manifold branches 20 leading respectivelyfrom theoutlet ends I] of 40 the two upper banks ,ll and from the outlet ends' I! of the two lower banks ii and each branch 20 is centrally connected: to the opposite ends respectively of themain branch 1L0! the manifold whichln turn is centrally connected to the :pipe 22 which: 'lealdsto the compressor sothat the pipe distance ofthe outlet ,ll [of each bank of coils to the compressor is the same. Instead of the manifold arrangement'of. Fig; 4

a header as shown in Fig. 6 may be provided, 3

said header being hermetically closed at both ends in any convenient manner and provided with a central partition, extending from end to end thereof. At .one side of the partition 4| the header has the tubes l2 connected thereto 1 partition has the Openings" therethrough which "upper opening it is is equally spaced refrigerant are' equally spaced from" the outlet 2 and the two upper. pipes l2 while'the lower opening between the two lower pipes I! so that the path from all-jot the pipes I! to the'outletfl ispl e 7 Separate pipesfld preterably oi' length, v 1 Y are connected to the flwiitlve inlet ends I. of

coils and supply refrigerant theremil-om the distributor-Ilwhich in turn the pipers from the expan- .This distributorgwhichih :shownin in csl'igs; 1 and 2 comprises a cup-like housing" with a cap or cover II thereto in a hermetical-l I! settled manneraslndicated at flgiand the'piva V V r inlet at the top ot the housing and Icadinginto sion 'valve ll;

'24 from the alveis h cured centrally tojthe cap or cover 20 as shown;

Y communicateswith the upperendor aoonical recess II in thel under side 01' said Under Illand centrally injthe housing 28 is anupstandlng annular fl jat equal intervals around the bottom of innerflcup portion thereof i'ormedbyj the flange f'roi' igthe annular;

v timlniniizes adisturhancetlnd promotes quicscenceiot the liquid refrigerant in 1 reservoir-Lao asto'ilnsure uniformity otlfoutflow over-fthewflange 'l lninto the central sloped at the-bottom :charnber therein to 20. Thebottoin wall of 'saidinner cup is cenetrally'torined-with'a threaded recess II in which is engaged the 'lower --threaded end1oi the stem it which is provided atithefluppenendi with a conicalaoi cal i'orm coni a somewhat flatter conie or cover llandwhich prolects into said recess "to form betweenthe recas '20- andispreader I 32 acontractediannular passageway" by which refrigerant enterlngthe distributor. is direct-- ed" annularly 'downward into the reservoi'r between'the flange llhand the outer; wall of housing "II honrwhichvrcaervoirithe refrigerant overflows into the Sinner cup 9 the flange II; It is to'be noted that=the discharge cup Jmbasin from virhlchfth'e -ontlet pipes lead.

'' Preferably the innergsurtacepof the walltilis. and the stem'provided with a flaredshoulder. :abovethe bottom ot'the inner. g cup as shown to-directcthe overflow from the annular reservoir to Outlets 'the bottom of the w x obviouslyfthe distributor 2t setin a substantially'level position' so thatthe overflow I from the annularreservoirintotheinner: cupjis 7 k p t 4 overflows into said cavity wardly. i'rolnthe center of cavltyand at its upper-end a deflectorin'thepath voi';,ths inflow inlet and flow-isdlrected into the housing having a plurality of commit the bot- II is accordingly-1 equal and v Preferably. .a 1 cl an is than nor ii the m-; terior of the distributor 28; at the rtopofthe remove-ercess gastrom the refrigerant beforeudistributionthereot-.:to the pipes and forums purposethe cap or cover 20 is providedwith a bleeder'passage l4 controlled pioe equally spaced between the .nishedbytheexpansion V 5;; 31 claim as my'invention: Y

, 20 forming in efl'ect an annular. reservoir w surrounding; an from the bottom oi :which 'saldinner cup the pipes ll lead to their respectivetb'anks' o t coilsgssaid pipes beinghermetically secured to the 'botto m'oi-the-lhousingin,- said housing: being formed to provide 28 or the (cap j directed into the, reservoir, and saidho' uslng'hav' in and an inlet leading into' thetop thereoniaid by a valve II and connected'by thepipe'll the pipe 2,: which leads from the cooling unit II to the compressor. Said pipe 22 also has leomed thereto the. tichulbll of thefelpansion valve whereby the supply or refrigerant iurg lliscontrolled. V While I have'shown and described au sm- 1.Inadistributorottheclass escribed.tho ll 'com'hinatlonoiahousing'withachainbertherelnif'said'housingbcing formed to. provide at the botto'sn'ot the c a cavitywi'tha ing reservoir which overflowsinto said cavitpan said chamber thereofvan orifice into which I the reservoir 2.1 In a. distributor t ,c mil rll t the combination of a housingylth ll c mber bottom of the chamber a cavity with ing. reservoir which overflows intollaid cavlthm.

inlet at the top-'otthe housinglnd saidchan berthereot, aspreader in the between said inlet and the. cavity-and to divert'inflow trorn saidinletfinto the-rslervnir unilorinly around thelcavitylandsaidlhoming having .a plurality. otoutlets atthe hottoni uniformly; arrang i :trom

concentrically wardly beyond the aforesaid cavity; an the top of the housing andleadingintoctbsjtopot the said conical at' the apex a on ea nr iwtl a ntq r qwllfi cess and forming therewith. an annular way through which theinflowirom'said'dnlet'is' ing a plurality or when thevbottom' arranged around the center "ol ithe cavity leading. from the bottoln otjsaid cavity is}; A V i lnva'distributorvoi" -cljass described, combination of ahousingwith, a

sbei ls. provide'at a i wh ch PIDJecting' up 7 din 'cijmm the bottom 0!. cavity into reservoir overflows.

5.-In a refrigeratinrsystem, the of a cooling unit comprisinga plurality of ratecoils, each having a separate. outlet connected 1 to a common discharge pipe, and means for separately supplying refrigerant to each coil from a common source, said means including a distributor comprising a housing with basins therein through which refrigerant supplied from the said common source flows consecutively, said basins being arranged to overflow one into another, and the last basin of the series having separate refrigerant conductors leading therefrom to the respective coils.

6. In a refrigerating system, the combination of a cooling unit comprising a plurality of separate coils each having a separate outlet connected to a common discharge pipe, and means for separately supplying refrigerant to each coil from a common source, said means including a distributor to which refrigerant is supplied from said source and having separate refrigerant conductors leading therefrom to the respective coils, said distributor comprising a housing with a chamber therein divided at the bottom into two basins one of which said basins has the aforesaid conductors leading therefrom and the other of which said basins receives refrigerant from said common source and. overflows into the basin from which said conductors lead.

W. In a refrigerating system, the combination of a cooling unit comprising a plurality of coils, each having a separate inlet connected through a distributor with a common source of refrigerant supply, and each of said separate coils having a separate outlet communicating with a common discharge pipe, and connecting means interposed between the latter pipe and the coil outlets and comprising a header closed at the endsand having a central partition extending from end to end thereof and provided with two spaced openings therethrough, said header having the outlets of the coils connected therewith at one side of the partition and the common discharge pipe leading therefrom at the other side of the partition at an equal distance from the two spaced openings through the partition and each of said openings being equally distant from two coil outlets.

8. In a distributor of the class described, the combination of a housing having therein a chamber with a basin and with a reservoir that overflows into the basin, a plurality of outlets leading from said basin, and an inlet leading into the chamber and discharging into the reservoir against a side wall of the reservoir remote from the outlets.

9. A distributor of the class described, comprising a housing providing a chamber having a plurality of outlets equidistant from the surrounding wall of the chamber, and inlet means having an annular discharge orifice positioned to discharge against and uniformlyalong said surrounding wall.

10. In a distributor of the class described, the combination of a housing having a' chamber therein, a plurality of outlets leading from the bottom of the chamber, an intake leading into the chamber, and spreader means for directing and distributing the discharge from the intake in an annular stream surrounding the outlets at a substantially uniform distance from all the outlets.

11. The method of equalizing the distribution of a liquid refrigerant from an expansion valve to the separate coils of a cooling unit, said method comprising simultaneously discharging the refrigerant in a thin sheet from the expansion valve and so collecting the same as to form a quiet pool, directing overflow from said pool in a thin sheet over an edge portion thereof remote from the place where the refrigerant is discharged into the pool. and conducting equal amounts of the overflow of refrigerant separately to the respective coils of the cooling unit.

12. In a distributor of the class described, the combination of a housing having a chamber therein, a plurality of outlets leading from the bottom of the chamber, an intake in the top of the chamber and directed towards the bottom of the chamber, and conical spreader means within the chamber and located between the intake and the outlets and disposed for directing and distributing the discharge from the intake in an annular stream surrounding the outlets at a sutlgstantially uniform distance from all the outle SVEN V. BWANSON. 

